Trump and the ‘Gated Communities’ of Afghanistan

Could Trump get something right? Retired US Army officer and prolific writer of military policy analysis Danny Sjursen compares how the brass In Washington sees Afghanistan versus the empirical knowledge from people on the ground. The commanders see Afghanistan as a job with the potential for promotion. And the ideas they come up with, such as building walls around villages, are remarkably counterproductive. Sjursen, who taught history at West Point, says there is no way we can have any sort of victory. Americans have no partners on the ground, the government we support kills more civilians than the Taliban. No supporter of Trump, Sjursen suggests that maybe unlike Bush and Obama who ratcheted up the war, this bizarre president might be on to something.